Marloes de Vries | blog

Please vote for me in Secret 7'' for Ben Howard's 'Black Flies'

2012-01-23T11:57:00.001+01:00

Dear blog readers, I need your help on this one: I made an illustration for a competition at Talent House. It's made for the single 'Black Flies' by Ben Howard. I would appreciate it greatly if you would vote for me.

Usually I don't participate in competitions. Maybe it's because when I was a child I never won any drawing or coloring competitions and I felt like such a failure, hahaha! :)
I made an illustration especially for this song because I'm a big Ben Howard fan. His music are like poems and are very soothing. I've put hours of work in it and I hope that shows! :)

Please vote for my artwork
All you have to do is click 'Vote' on the right. You can either pick voting with your Facebook account or Twitter account.

If you like to help me a little more, you can copy and paste the following message in your Facebook or Twitter:
Vote for @marloesdevee's artwork for Ben Howard's 'Black Flies': http://bit.ly/yedv5v

(click for bigger version on Flickr)

Custom wedding invitations / Persoonlijke trouwkaarten

2012-01-20T16:01:00.001+01:00

I haven't updated in two weeks, sorry about that! I've been swamped with work.

In the winter of 2011 I came up with an idea inspired by American weddings. In the US people spend a lot of time and effort to their wedding day. I think it's amazing and inspirational. In my country, the Netherlands, it's not so usual to make such a big event of your wedding. I have no idea why because it's a once in a life time event (at least, I hope!).
A few weeks ago I made an illustration for wedding blog Velvetine Online. That brought to my attention that there really is a lack of creative wedding invitations. Time for a change, right?

The last couple of weeks I've been cooking up some ideas for personal, custom illustrated wedding invitations. My idea is to create portraits of the bride and groom, add handwritten text and create one of a kind wedding invitations!

I was aiming on the Dutch market at first but maybe it's something for other countries too? I would love it if you could let me know what you think of this idea.

In the meantime, here are two example invitations:

Expositie in Bibliotheek Groningen

2012-01-06T12:52:00.000+01:00

Als je in de buurt bent, kun je een klein overzicht van mijn werk zien in Bibliotheek Groningen. Er hangt werk van 2010 en 2011.
Je kunt het bezichtigen op de jeugdafdeling, van 11 januari tot en met 30 maart 2012.
Adres: Oude Boteringestraat 18, Groningen

If you're in the area you can take a look at some of my work in the library of Groningen. It's a small overview of work made by me from 2010 and 2011.
You can find it at the youth department from Januari 11 until March 30 2012.
Address: Oude Boteringestraat 18, Groningen (the Netherlands)

Tree of gifts

2012-01-04T11:50:00.000+01:00

Velvetine Online asked me to make an illustration for their new campagne, a free photoshoot.
I was thinking of making illustrations fitting for wedding invitations so this assignment suited me very well. In the future you can expect more illustrated wedding invitations from me! :)

A new year, a fresh start

2012-01-02T10:20:00.000+01:00

The new year has started. Although I like a new beginning, I'm not really into partying big on new year's eve. I like to keep it small and quiet, enjoying the closure of a year.

2011 was a year of survival. I didn't talk about it much on my blog but my mom got very ill in May 2011. She was in a coma for 9 days and has been rehabilitating since. She's doing quite well now, considering what she's been through. It made a huge impact on me. My friends tell me: "2011 was a bad year, wasn't it?". No, it wasn't. It was a year where my mother got very ill but also the year she survived and got to live, which wasn't completely expected.

2011 was also the year I first saw myself as an illustrator. In 2010 I got my first assignment for an educational publisher but in 2011 I had my first exhibition of my work (in total my work was in 4 exhibitions this year), my first assignment for a picture book and even more great assignments throughout the year. My work was even published in a great magazine. That was the cherry on top. :) I did a workshop 'writing for children' and I got started on writing my first picture book. I'm not in a hurry to finish it. I want to take time to get this right.

When I was lying in bed last night I thought: "What would I really like for 2012?". A few things actually:
- I would like to develop myself as an illustrator and become better.
- I hope to make a bit of a living as an illustrator but I don't want to stress about it too much.
- I want to enjoy small things more. Go on hikes and citytrips. That kind of stuff.

What I've learned from 2011: you can plan all you want but life is something that happens to you. You don't have a say in what's going to happen, you can only steer and tweak it a bit while you're at it.

Thank you for sticking with me, I appreciate that beyond words. I would like to hear your thoughts on 2011 and for the new year. I hope for many good things in 2012 for all of you!

Love,
Marloes

Happy holidays

2011-12-23T16:39:00.003+01:00

Dear readers of my blog,
I'm so grateful that my nativity set is such a huge success, I never expected such great response! Thanks to everyone who has blogged about it or put it on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
When I checked today it has been downloaded over ~~6876~~ 9167(!) times.

I've gotten many emails and was sent so many pictures of people's sets. So sweet!
Here's a little wall of fame, can you spot yours? :)

Thank you for supporting me. Have a merry Christmas and all the best for 2012!
Love, Marloes

'How About Orange' blogged about my nativity set

2011-12-15T10:10:00.001+01:00

Jessica Jones has a great blog called How About Orange for creative people on which she gives tips and ideas. It's one of my favourite blogs and I am honoured she blogged about my christmas crib/nativity set. I'm not quite sure what to call the DIY christmas set because English isn't my mother language. Sorry about that!

Thank you so much Jessica, for the blogpost!

Early Christmas gift from Ina

2011-12-06T12:32:00.001+01:00

Don't you just love packages in the mail? I sure do! Especially when they contain fun stuff, like the package you see below. I got it from my friend Ina Hattenhauer, a very talented illustrator from Germany.

In the big envelope there was an advent calendar with lovely illustrations from different artists and a copy of 'Bulle und Pelle', a book Ina illustrated.

'Bulle und Pelle' is about Bulle, a young boy and his bunny Pelle. One day Pelle dies. So Bulle goes looking for Pelle but he's nowhere to be found. Untill Bulle meets a stranger who gives him some insight about where Pelle can be found.

The story is very endearing. I think it's a wonderful book to give to young children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Ina's illustration are lovely. Very simple lines but spot on. The translate the feeling throughout the book into images very well.
Unfortunately the book is only available in German but if you speak the language a little it's not very difficult to read. I think the illustrations are beautiful enough the buy the book anyhow though! :D
Ina just informed me that the book is being translated into Danish and Korean too!

You can order the book from Amazon.co.uk.

Ina was kind enough to write a personal message for me in the book!

The Morran Book Project

2011-12-06T11:12:00.002+01:00

A while ago I made an illustration of Morran, the dog of Swedish illustrator Camilla Engman. This was for a book Camilla's was going to make about Morran. He was very ill and hadn't much longer to live. Unfortunately Morran passed away recently.

So here's the wonderful tribute to the best dog in the world and I was very happy when I saw my illustrator is in the book:

(image by Camilla Engman)

The illustration on the left is the one I made.

All profit will go to World Society for the Protection of Animals - Sweden. The price for the book is US $34.95 for the softcover ($4 is going to WSPA and the rest is the price that Blurb takes for printing the book).

You can read a bit more about the book on Studio Morran's website or you can order a copy of the book right away.

Blog feature by 101 Woonideeën

2011-12-04T13:55:00.001+01:00

One of the most popular interior magazines of the Netherlands featured my Christmas cards on their weblog. I'm a very happy girl right now. Take a look at 101 Woonideeën's blog!

Thank you 101 Woonideeën and Het Zijstraatje for contacting the magazine!
Hopefully I will sell some Christmas cards. :)

Standing in the way of control

2011-12-02T15:11:00.000+01:00

I made this illustration based on a song by The Gossip called Standing in the way of control. It was a challenge for Ten Paces and Draw, of which I'm part of.

New Christmas cards in the shop

2011-11-29T15:01:00.000+01:00

I have re-opened my Etsy shop and added some brand new things to it. You can now order Christmas cards, buttons or a print from there. I also made two new cards, which can see below. They're also available in the shop.

Visit my shop

Even the mice are celebrating Christmas this year!

2011-11-28T17:53:00.002+01:00

I'm thinking whether I should put some more Christmas cards in my shop. I was thinking of adding this one and the drawing from my previous post.

What do you think: Christmas card y/n?

Getting a Christmas tree with dad

2011-11-25T16:40:00.002+01:00

I was feeling in a Christmassy mood this afternoon and made an ink drawing.

Make your own Christmas crib in 101 Woonideeën magazine

2011-11-19T14:08:00.005+01:00

I'm featured in this month's 101 Woonideeën, a lovely Dutch magazine for home and interior ideas and inspiration. The feature is about my 'Make your own Christmas crib' which I made last year.
How cool is that? :D

Ik sta deze maand in 101 Woonideeën met een stukje over mijn 'Maak je eigen Kerststal', die ik vorig jaar maakte. Leuk hè? :D

Here you can find the PDF and instructions/Hier vind je de PDF en instructies:
Make your own Christmas crib/Maak je eigen Kerststal

Ten Paces: mastercopy

2011-11-18T16:47:00.000+01:00

Some new work I made for Ten Paces and Draw. The theme was 'mastercopy', which meant we had to pick an artwork and sketch it in our own way. I picked 'Girl with the pearl earring' by Johannes Vermeer. I got a sketch by the very talented Michele Rosenthal which I interpreted myself in what you see below. I worked for hours on 'Luncheon on the grass' and if I had more time I would have worked on it a couple of more hours. I got absorbed by it!

Luncheon on the grass

Girl with the pearl earring

Christmas cards in the shop

2011-11-16T15:44:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year again, the holiday season is starting! Fa la la la la la la la la!
You can order Christmas cards I made in my shop and you get a great discount on other things. Isn't that lovely? :)

Go to the shop!

What I wore today...

2011-11-15T12:39:00.000+01:00

Wedding anniversary card

2011-11-05T17:26:00.000+01:00

My parents have been married for 30 years. Isn't that great? I made this card for them, for inviting friends and family to a big party to celebrate 30 years of love.

Past ghosts

2011-11-01T15:51:00.000+01:00

Sometimes my head's filled with stuff, ideas. It can be overwhelming and sometimes I just have to let it out by drawing. This is what I made today. It's a pencil drawing on a very old book page (about insects if you're curious :D). The rest is with gouache and watercolours.

Morran

2011-10-31T12:49:00.001+01:00

This is a drawing of Morran, the dog of Camilla Engman. I made it for the Morran Book.
I used Canson watercolour paper, gouache and watercolours.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T16:16:00.001+02:00

These drawings below are made for Ten Paces and Draw. I really love Halloween but it's not really celebrated in the country I live in, the Netherlands. Too bad! We're missing out on a great party!

Juggler in the circus

2011-10-16T16:27:00.001+02:00

A new illustration made for Ten Paces and Draw. You can find it here.

They Draw and Cook: fast English muffin pizzas

2011-09-15T20:34:00.002+02:00

I illustrated a recipe for They Draw and Cook. You can view it over here.
It's a combination of pencil and digital.

Almost ready...

2011-09-14T09:01:00.002+02:00

I've been working for the last couple of months on this and it's almost ready: 'That 17th Hat'. I'm working on the last pages as we speak and then it's ready to go the printers. It will be released on December 1st, 2011.

You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com if you like! Pre-order here

Edit For those who are curious what this book is exactly: it's a picture book, written by Trevor Eissler and illustrated by me. This is a 3D model I photoshopped myself, the actual book isn't completely ready yet.
Thanks for all of your lovely comments!

Illustration friday: mysterious

2011-09-09T12:11:00.001+02:00

Mysterious [adj] having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding.

Made for Illustration Friday.

Ten Paces continued...

2011-08-26T16:46:00.001+02:00

This week I also entered a sketch and a finished drawing for Ten Paces and Draw. This week's theme is pet portrait.

Finished drawing (see entry here).

And this was the sketch I entered:

Ten Paces and Draw

2011-08-20T10:51:00.003+02:00

I participate in a wonderful initiative set up by Alyssa Nasser, called Ten Paces and Draw. Every week there's a theme. You make a sketch fitting that theme, send it in and you get someone else's sketch to finish into an illustration.

I got a sketch (on the left) and made it into the illustration on the right.
It's fun to do because I get the train my skills and thought process.

You can see my sketch here.
And my final illustration here.

Illustration Friday: imperfect

2011-08-12T09:06:00.002+02:00

Made for Illustration Friday.

Working on the Taj Mahal

2011-08-08T16:55:00.001+02:00

Still very busy on finishing the illustrations for 'That 17th Hat'. This is a sneak peak of one page, with the Taj Mahal.

Sneak peak of 'That 17th Hat'

2011-08-03T11:08:00.002+02:00

I'm working on a picture book called 'That 17th Hat' right now. It will be released early 2012 and it's about, surprise, hats! :D
Here's a sneak peak:

Boxes and moving

2011-08-01T16:51:00.000+02:00

I made this illustration for a friend who is moving to her new home soon. It pictures her and her son in flying boxes :D

My What I Wore Today drawing published in the book!

2011-07-29T19:08:00.003+02:00

One of my What I Wore Today illustrations will be published in the same titled book that will be released in March 2012. I'm very honoured to be in this book with crazy talented people like Gemma Correll, Lizzy Stewart, Anke Weckmann and Alyssa Nassner.

You can pre-order the book at Amazon.com here.

Interview with My Child Magazine (Australia)

2011-07-22T11:51:00.003+02:00

A while ago I did an interview with Kaila Whitter of My Child Magazine, a fun, Australian magazine for young parents. It was really fun to do!

You can find the interview here, just scroll down a bit! :D

Showcase at The Artfuls

2011-07-01T09:51:00.001+02:00

So cool: I'm showcased at this awesome website called The Artfuls.
Have a great weekend everyone!

What I wore today... Part 2

2011-06-25T16:10:00.002+02:00

Another drawing for What I Wore Today Flickr group.

What I wore today...

2011-06-22T10:01:00.001+02:00

I entered this drawing in the What I Wore Today Flickr group :D
It's a really fun Flickr group where people make drawings of what they wore that day. There's also a great blog: whatiworedrawings.blogspot.com.

Timboektoe

2011-06-14T10:06:00.002+02:00

This is the result of educational illustrations I did last year. It's a method for children in primary school focused on language, called 'Timboektoe'.
I can't believe this was almost a year ago. Time goes by so fast. It was also one of my first paying jobs so I have good memories of these illustrations.

Sneak preview of 17 Hats

2011-06-10T09:34:00.002+02:00

The last couple of months I mainly worked digitally but for my first picture book I decided to go back to paint. I use gouache for this book, which is the very first time I used it.

I really like the analog feel of it and I think I will work like this more often.

Children's magazine illustration about Egypt

2011-06-06T10:23:00.001+02:00

I always love working for Boekie Boekie. It's a magazine for children in primary school.
This time I made an illustration for an article about Egypt. They want the art piece Nefertiti back, which is now in hands of a German museum. Germany doesn't want to give back the head of Nefertiti because they feel like it's too dangerous right now in Egypt.

Art for charity

2011-06-03T15:35:00.000+02:00

I participated in a great project by Gallery Nucleus. Artists create a special 5"x7" original artwork of which the money goes to a charity chosen by the artist.
You can find my piece here.

There are some amazing pieces of work available!

Sketches for '17 Hats'

2011-05-27T17:13:00.002+02:00

I can't show too much of the book yet, I want it to be a surprise :) But here's a tiny-teeny sneak peek of the picture book '17 Hats', all pages!

Dances Between Flowers

2011-05-24T15:14:00.002+02:00

I've been away for a while. I'm trying to pick up work slowly again. I finished these two little paintings yesterday. I started on them a week ago but because my mom is in the hospital I stopped working for a while.

One of these is going to sold for charity soon, I will keep you updated!

More photos of these on my Flickr

I'm also still working on the picture book '17 Hats' which will be published by June Books. I will bring you some updates on that soon!

Offline for a bit

2011-05-21T16:23:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone,

I haven't been online much, due to family circumstances. I like to spend all the time I have in that and I hope to have an update when everything is going better!

Thanks for your patience,

Marloes

Winner Vogel giveaway

2011-05-14T12:25:00.002+02:00

It took a little longer than expected due to the Blogger downtime but we have a winner!

First, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this giveaway. This giveaway had 46(!) entries (through Blogspot or/and Twitter). So, I think it was a great succes and in the future I will do a giveaway again, so please keep following this blog, my Facebook page or my twitter.

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Het Zijstraatje!
If you can email me (post (at) marloesdevries.nl) your adress and such, I will send the limited edition print of 'Vogel' to you as soon as possible.

If you would like to get a limited edition print of 'Vogel', you can also buy it in my shop: Etsy or BigCartel.

Thanks again everyone!

Vogel giveaway!

2011-05-05T10:27:00.007+02:00

Today is a special day in my country, the Netherlands, because today is Liberation Day (in Dutch: Bevrijdingsdag). We celebrate this every year with music and festivals. A very happy day!

To celebrate this I wanted to do a giveaway. I'll be giving away a print of Vogel. The poem that goes along with my illustrations is about being free, so I thought it fits this day well.

The illustration is a Giclee print (ultrachrome inks) on Archival Matte paper. The paper measures 297 x 210 mm/11.7 x 8.3 inches (A4), so the illustration is a bit smaller. It's a limited edition of 25 prints.

There are two ways to enter this giveaway:
1) By leaving a comment to this post.
2) By tweeting the following message on Twitter:
"I'd like to win this print by @marloesdevee http://bit.ly/ldTSQD"

If you do both (leaving a comment AND tweeting about it) you double your chances!

~~The giveaway closes May 12 at 23.59 (UTC+1).~~ Good luck!
EDIT Because Blogger had some troubles and downtime, I'm extending this giveaway 'till May 14. Again, good luck!

CLOSED

You can find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Royal wedding day!

2011-04-29T09:46:00.000+02:00

It's a nice day today. The weather is nice although I wouldn't object to a little more sun. Today is also the day that Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. I think the fuss all around this day is a bit too much but I do like the event :)

I hope everyone has a lovely day today!

This illustration in my Flickr stream

I'm on Facebook!

2011-04-28T08:29:00.000+02:00

I've created a Facebook fan page. If you like to receive updates from me from Facebook, please click 'Like' and you're set! :)

Nature coming along

2011-04-27T11:39:00.000+02:00

Life can get so hectic. It's nice to take some time off every once in a while... I love doing that by taking hikes and photographing nature.

I do complain sometimes, about that there's not much to do around here on the countryside. About how there aren't any festivals, art shows, concerts, cultural events. But when spring blooms I remember why I love it here. It's peaceful, quiet and the nature is astonishing.

Dillweed's Revenge

2011-04-23T09:58:00.001+02:00

I found Carson Ellis' work a while ago and immediately I fell in love with it. I couldn't resist to buy a book illustrated by her and chose 'Dillweed's Revenge', a slightly dark story.

Working on a picture book

2011-04-21T19:15:00.001+02:00

At the moment I'm working on my first picture book, called '17 Hats'. It's written by Trevor Eisler and published by June Books.

Here you have a little preview of the main characters:

New items in my shop

2011-04-20T11:11:00.001+02:00

I created an Etsy shop a while ago. At first, I only had two original pieces in it but I added a set of greeting cards, badge sets and a limited edition print to it yesterday.

I also have a Big Cartel shop, if you don't have an Etsy account.

» marloesdevries.bigcartel.com or » etsy.com/shop/marloesdevries

I hope you like it!

Kunstroute Emmen 2011

2011-04-19T16:52:00.001+02:00

I had quite a busy weekend: I opened my house to people that were interested in art and maybe even my work :)

Below you see how I put most of my work in my little house!

I decorated the outside of our house with balloons and such.
In the garden behind our house I had set up some chairs and table so people could rest a little. I also made lots of cupcakes, had chocolate, tea, apple juice and orange juice. Not many took the time to sit down unfortunately. Most were in a hurry to see the other houses/studios of artists.

The weather was amazing those two days!

This is in our living room. I took out all of our books and replaced them with my paintings and drawings.

This is were I work. I like to work in front of the big window/doors. I love working with daylight.

I also set up a little shop in the kitchen where people could buy cards, badges, prints and such.

It was a great day!

Kunstroute Emmen

2011-04-13T14:53:00.001+02:00

If no one objects I'm going to write this in Dutch :) It's about an art gallery route you can take in my area.

Dit weekend, zaterdag 16 en zondag 17 april, is weer de jaarlijkse Kunstroute Emmen, waarbij verschillende kunstenaars hun atelier openstellen voor publiek. Dit jaar doe ik ook mee!
Tijdens dit weekend kun je in mijn atelier werk zien en ook kopen. Ik bied originelen te koop aan, maar ook giclée prints van mijn werk, wenskaarten, buttons en meer.
Iedereen is van harte welkom! Een drankje staat voor je klaar. Download de flyer voor meer informatie.

Inspiration: Lauren Child

2011-03-31T21:13:00.000+02:00

My second inspiration post! The first one was about Dutch illustrator Fiep Westendorp and I would like to dedicate this one to English author and illustrator Lauren Child.

I think it's safe to say that Lauren Child is best known for her Charlie and Lola series. It's my one of my favourites too. I just adore Lola! What's inspiring to me is the fact that she also writes these stories. One day, I'll hope to do the same.

What I like about Lauren's work is the collage technique and the analog feel to it. I love how the characters seem drawn by a simple line without much effort. You don't feel the pressure or need to perfection in her work. But I think it costs her much effort and she might as well be the biggest perfectionist in the world. But you don't see that and that's makes it so appealing for me. I love her bright use of color, it's very cheerful.

My favorite book illustrated by Lauren is Pippi Longstocking. I even have litho's of this book in my living room! She brings a whole new Pippi to the table but it's the one you have always imagined in your head: fun, naughty, colorful!

Lauren didn't get great feedback from her teachers in art school but she managed to become one of the best selling children's book author and illustrator. So, you see: just do what you love the most, work hard and you'll get there!

Newsletter / Nieuwsbrief

2011-03-30T15:56:00.000+02:00

Every once in a while I will make a newsletter. I will write about current projects or news. If you are interested, you can sign up for it here: marloesdevries.nl/contact/?lang=nl
Unfortunately, I write it in Dutch but if you open the newsletter in your browser (top link), you can use Google translate to translate it in your prefered language.

New characters

2011-03-27T12:44:00.001+02:00

I just finished drawing some new characters. Some of them I like to use for books, maybe :)

You can view my doodles and illustrations on Flickr: flickr.com/photos/marloesdevries

Someone like you...

2011-03-16T16:46:00.000+01:00

I wanted to try again if I could make something with hand lettering. As inspiration I used singer Adele and her song 'Someone Like You'. I think it's a wonderful, emotional song. And I just adore Adele.

Did you know I have a Flickr account with more work?

Inspiration: Fiep Westendorp

2011-03-03T11:43:00.000+01:00

I mostly blog about my own work but I want to share other great work with you guys too. So to start off with, my biggest inspiration: Fiep Westendorp.

"Fiep Westendorp (Zaltbommel, December 17, 1916 - Amsterdam, February 3, 2004) was a Dutch illustrator who became especially popular due to her long-term collaboration with writer Annie M.G. Schmidt. Three generations of Dutch people have grown up with her illustrations. The drawings she made for Jip en Janneke, a series of stories which ran in Dutch newspaper Het Parool from 1953 to 1957, now adorn a variety of items sold by Dutch department store HEMA.
Since the regular Dutch awards for illustrations always eluded her, she was given a unique award for her entire oeuvre in 1997. Since 2007, the University of Amsterdam have an endowed chair for illustration in Westendorp's honor."
Source: Wikipedia

Now you know a little about her background, now I would like to add some things :)

I think it's best to tell up front that Fiep Westendorp's work is typically Dutch. It's not very popular outside The Netherlands. It's not very traditional. I hope this will make more people appreciate her work.

I first saw Fiep's work through 'Jip en Janneke', two little kids in black and white. I think I was about 4 years old when my mom read my first Jip and Janneke story.
Why were Jip and Janneke in black and white? Well, the newspapers back then didn't use color so everything had to be printed in black and white. Because the Jip and Janneke stories were printed so small, Fiep decided to make the head in black so there was a good contrast.

She not only drew for children. As you can see above, she made illustrations for adults too. She made drawings for a weekly piece in a Dutch newspaper about women and their households. She mainly used ink at this time.

Later on, when printers could print colours, she started with gouche and pencils.

What I like so much about her work is her sense for colors and her palette. I have a lot of her books and I always see certain colours, like purple and blue and bright greens for plants. A very nice palette.

What I also find amazing is the combination between gouache, ink and colour pencils. She defines hard lines with ink and makes it softer with gouache and adds patterns with pencils. She doesn't outline everything with ink, only certain parts. It's very balanced.

Many Dutch people always talk about her witty noses. I love it. I like how she draws eyes: sometimes only a simple dot and sometimes it's an open round. The way she draws the limbs is witty: no round corners, everything very pointy. It's the way she uses her pens and pencils. Only the heads are round.

Fiep Westendorp is a very gifted artist. That's why I love it even more how she plays with perspective. It's never completely right but it's intentional. It makes the composition playful and interesting.

A while ago, I visited an exhbition with original work of Fiep. It's amazing how many details she drew. What I found also fascinating is that she made mistakes and erased them or painted them over.

Even the best make mistakes. This is a good one for me to remember.

The cheerful innocence of Marloes de Vries

2011-02-28T09:18:00.001+01:00

January 28th I was interviewed by a newspaper about my current exhibition. I meant to upload this much sooner but because of my busy schedule I forgot a little.
So here it is! The interviewer was a very nice man which made it easy to talk about my work and myself. You can read the interview in Dutch here.

I also translated it into English, starting from the 2nd paragraph (because the first one is about previous exhibitions).

Interview by Joep van Ruiten

'Illustrations for children' is the subtitle of 'Eyes Open, pajamas on', but that doesn't suit the work of Marloes de Vries (Emmen, 1984). Because what she creates is for all ages. "I let my feelings guide me. I don't think of ages when I'm illustrating" she says "But if children like my drawings, I consider it a compliment. Especially because they still have the ability to imagine and fantasize. Imagination that most grown ups have lost."

De Vries graduated in visual communication at the art academy in Enschede. "I was really happy I could go to the art academy. The way of education was very liberal and free but they didn't value my drawings much. They weren't crazy enough, they said. There wasn't an audience for it and at the same time they said I was too commercial. I was quite hurt so I choose other subjects, ones I liked less."

After art academy she first worked as a graphic designer for design agencies. "That should have given me that sense of freedom but it didn't. I got that creative freedom when I quit my job and started working as a freelance designer and started drawing again." She got immediate regonition: her work got nominated for the Art Award 2010, illustration assignments voor educational publishers and publications in children's art magazine Boekie Boekie.

This interest in her work can be easily explained. Her style of drawing is refreshing, clear en uncomplicated. Her work airs an unmistakable cheerful innocence. Especially that makes her drawings suitable for young viewers. "It's not intentional", says De Vries. "What is intentional is that I don't want to shut people out. A while ago I drew some girls with headscarfs (a lot of girls in the Netherlands wear headscarfs because of reglious beliefs, MdV). Someone told me not every publisher would like that. That surprised me."

Useally a drawing starts with pencil and after that a scanner and computer is used to finish it. "It's still not completely natural: looking at your hand at paper or looking at the cursor on your screen." 'Eyes open, pajamas on' not only shows traditional drawings. The exhibition also shows work that's more dimensional like a series of people in different positions in their beds - everything very innocent.

Although De Vries isn't bored of free work, illustration assignment and her design agency Studio Wiedes, she wants to create a picture book. The storyline is there but to learn more about telling the story right she's taking a course in writing for children at university. "A picture book is the ulimate goal, especially when you have written the story and have created the drawings. It often happens that when a picture book is published the writer gets mentioned but not the illustrator. When I do both they can not nót mention me."

The exhibtion 'Eyes open, pajamas on' is on show untill March 27th in Centrum Beeldende Kunst in Emmen (the Netherlands). Open from wednesday untill sunday 1 PM - 5 PM. See www.marloesdevries.nl

New illustration in Boekie Boekie

2011-02-17T15:21:00.003+01:00

I made an illustration for the newest issue of children's magazine Boekie Boekie. The story is about the statue 'The Thinker' by Rodin and how a couple of thiefs ruined it.

You can order the magazine at Bol.com.

Two wallpapers for Poolga

2011-02-16T16:12:00.002+01:00

I had the honor to make 2 wallpapers for iPhones and iPads, a commission by Poolga. I am now in a list together with the most talented illustrators and designers.
You can download the wallpapers at the Poolga website.

Draw it off #3

2011-02-15T22:18:00.001+01:00

My love for books knows no end.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T11:40:00.001+01:00

I hope you may receive as much love as I do today! Happy Valentine's Day!

Draw it off #2

2011-02-10T11:32:00.001+01:00

I love old radios but I rarely listen to the modern ones lately.

Rules in school

2011-02-07T12:39:00.001+01:00

An illustration out of a series of 5 for a primary school. They have certain rules they wanted to have illustrated to hang in the school. To make rules more fun :)

Want to work with me? :)

2011-02-04T16:47:00.000+01:00

I made this illustration for the front of my portfolio booklet. I've send several to publishers in the hope someone will like my work and maybe hire me!

I'm open for commissions!

Draw it off #1

2011-02-01T16:05:00.001+01:00

Sometimes I'm working so much and trying so hard, I tend to forget why I have quit my daytime job to pursue a career as a fulltime illustrator and designer. I'm so caught up in 'being the best I can be', it's not making my work better. Time to say to myself "Stop, why are you doing this?" For the love of art! That's why I'm doing this!

I'm a perfectionist, by nature. I can't do something I'm not committed to, neither can I accept an assignment when I know I can't do a perfect job. Honestly, I'm my own worst boss. I'm not easily pleased and I push myself to do a better job.

I guess you get the point, right? Things need to change a bit, or actually I need to change.
I have given myself an assignment, something else from what I useally do. When I feel like I'm pushing msyelf too much again, I'm gonna draw the thing that's on my mind. These drawings do not require anything. No theme, no deadline, no prettiness, no pressure. Just do it without thinking. Like a diary, to shake my troubles off.

I've cut out several 15cm x 15cm squares to draw it on. No computer, only analogue. That's the only restriction.

So, here's the first one:

Opening of the exhibition

2011-01-27T09:48:00.000+01:00

The exhibition I participate in opened last saturay. I posted some pictures so you get an impression how it looks like :)

Below you see my work on the walls:

I'm the one on the right, with the black dress, pink scarf and pink shoes :) The two women next to me are Danielle Schothorst and Marianne van Voorn, the two other exhibitioners (is that the correct word?). They are both wonderful people and very talented. It's an honor to do this together with them!

Handpainted key cabinet

2011-01-08T15:00:00.001+01:00

I made this key cabinet last week. I tend to lose my keys a lot so I quite like these cabinets. You can buy it on my Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65491751/wooden-key-cabinet-with-handpainted-key

Happy botanics

2011-01-08T12:53:00.001+01:00

I made a pattern last week and entered it at a Spoonflower contest!
You can view the pattern here.

If you like the pattern, it would be great if you would vote for it. If I am the winner it gets printed! You can vote here.
To vote, you click on the pattern. Then go through all the pages with patterns untill you get to the last page where it says on the bottom "I'm done! Save my votes!". Click that and you have voted!

Happy new year everyone!

2011-01-03T09:26:00.000+01:00

My first attempt at hand lettering. Always wanted to learn it but never got to it. I love the work of Jessica Hische, who is genius at it! She does it digitally though. Hand lettering by Nate Williams is truly inspiring too!

Now, I have to practice some more... :)

A little break

2010-12-28T15:55:00.003+01:00

I hope your Christmas was fun! Mine was! My aunt made the most delicious food, yum!

My exhibition is coming closer and I need to finish a couple of things before it starts. I'm still working on the Slaap Zacht/Sleep tight series as you can see in the pictures above.
I also have to buy several frames for my work which I will do tomorrow.

For those who like to see the exhibtion, here's some information. The website hasn't got all the content yet though.

Ogen open, pyjama aan
Illustraties voor kinderen
Daniëlle Schothorst, Marianne van Voorn en Marloes de Vries
22.01.2011 t/m 27.03.2011 in Emmen (the Netherlands)
Information

Maak je eigen Kerststal/Make your own nativity set!

2010-12-15T16:01:00.028+01:00

Een tijdje terug had ik een ideetje: toen ik klein was vond ik Kerststalletjes altijd zo betoverend mooi. Ik knutselde daarom vaak mijn eigen kerststalletjes.
Het leek me zo leuk om dat nog eens te doen en deze deel ik graag met jullie. Je kunt zelf lekker gaan knutselen maar misschien is het ook leuk voor je kinderen (8+). Veel plezier!

A while ago I had this idea. As a kid I was really intrigued by nativity sets. Because of that I often made my own set.
I thought it would be fun to craft my own set. And why not share it? You can do this yourself or let your kids (8+) get crafty. Have fun!

Download the pre-coloured PDF: here

Download the colouring picture: here

Instructies
- Download de kleuren PDF of de kleurplaat PDF.
- Print de 2 pagina's op wat dikker papier of dun karton. Het is handig om je printinstellingen op hoge kwaliteit te zetten, om de details goed duidelijk te krijgen.
- Knip de figuurtjes uit.
- Lijm de figuurtjes en klaar is Kees!

Instructions
- Download the pre-coloured PDF or the PDF to colour yourself.
- Print the 2 pages on thick paper or thin cardboard. Set your print quality to high, for better details.
- Cut out the figures.
- Glue them and voila!

Copyright of these designs by Marloes de Vries.
It's not allowed to claim these designs as your own.

Slaap zacht, part 5 (or 4 and a half actually)

2010-12-13T15:25:00.001+01:00

Working a new painting in my Slaap zacht/Sleep tight series...

A new Christmas card

2010-12-08T10:55:00.001+01:00

I decided to do another Christmas card. Especially made for friends and family. I'm pretty content with this one! I also made a version with Dutch text in it, which will be sent to friends and family :)

If you haven't seen it yet, I also have a Flickr account with my work.

Sinterklaas test

2010-12-01T15:33:00.002+01:00

I drew Sinterklaas (what is Sinterklaas?) and 2 zwarte pieten. It's a national holiday here and it's a lot like Santa Claus. I really like this holiday but since my family doesn't, we don't celebrate it.

This is 100% analog :) Just pencil and watercolors.

This was a test to see what works better: with pencil outline or without. I drew Sinterklaas with outline and zwarte piet without. I think I like my watercolorings better without outline. What do you think?

Finished another one! Sleep tight #4

2010-11-29T11:22:00.002+01:00

I finished another one in the series Sleep tight. This one is inspired by a friend of mine who told me over the phone that his cat slept in his bed that night. Thought it was cute!

The whole Sleep tight-series is part of an exhibition coming up in January, in the Netherlands. The exhibition will show part of my work.

Pirates!

2010-11-18T21:41:00.001+01:00

I'm still working on some educational projects for children. I love the books I'm working on right now. It has short stories for children in primary school. Here are another two from these projects! The story is about a boy who tries to impress a girl by telling her his grandfather was a pirate back in the day...

In Christmas spirits

2010-11-02T15:43:00.001+01:00

It's not Christmas yet but I started working on a Christmascard nonetheless. I finished it but I figured out getting it printed is quite expensive. So I'm not sure if these are going to be send.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-22T16:09:00.001+02:00

I'm lucky enough to spend Halloween in Denmark this year. I wish you all a happy Halloween!

Sleep tight, part 3

2010-10-13T15:55:00.001+02:00

Finished another piece :) The one that reads before going to sleep.
All of these pieces will be on showcase and for sale for an upcoming exhibition in Emmen (the Netherlands, Europe) about Dutch illustrators, which I will be part of. The exhibition will run from January untill March. I will post details as soon as I get them!

Sleep tight, part 2

2010-10-04T12:21:00.002+02:00

I did another painting for my 'Sleep Tight' series. I have many ideas for these series but I lack in time :S

From sketch to final drawing

2010-09-08T12:07:00.002+02:00

I'm still very busy working on the drawings for this educational project. I try mixing various techniques, which I love! Above you can see my first sketch and on the right you can see the final drawing.
Since this is for children aged 8-11, I use bright colors that pop. I want to give them the feeling "THIS is a story I want to read!". Hopefully, I've managed to create that feeling...

Educational drawings

2010-08-20T11:55:00.001+02:00

One drawing of a series of 24 for an educational project I'm working on at the moment. I just finished the sketches which I will send to the client for approval.
These drawings will be illustrating short stories in reading methods books for kids (ages 8-10) in primary school.

Vogel/Bird alteration

2010-08-02T19:51:00.000+02:00

I decided to edit my last illustration a little bit. More shadows and some color alteration.
While I was making this illustration, it came to my mind to cut out every piece and glue them together again, so it has layers. I wasn't sure about it but I did it today. I think it turned out pretty good :)

When I was done cutting and glueing I framed the illustration in a 3D frame from Ikea.

Vogel door Theo Olthuis

2010-07-29T15:52:00.000+02:00

This is a drawing I made inspired by a Dutch poem. I'm not going to translate the poem, that wouldn't do the poet justice. It's about flying away from your worries and be free as a bird.

Vogel

Als ik weg wil,
Word ik soms een vogel
Dan ga ik op mijn tenen staan
En vlieg ik heel ver hier vandaan.

Over de huizen en het bos,
Op eigen wieken, helemaal los.
Over de puntige bergen
En de diepe zee;
Als je wil dan mag je mee.

Voel de wind langs je oren,
Voel de wind langs je haar.
Hij blaast
Alle gedachten uit je hoofd,
Anders ben je veel te zwaar.

Theo Olthuis, uit: Lampje voor de nacht, uitgeverij Holland

Why the fox didn't like the bird (in acrylics)

2010-07-27T15:19:00.000+02:00

I finished painting my previous sketch last week. My scanner was not working therefor I didn't upload it sooner.
The painting is acrylics on cardboard.

Why the fox didn't like the bird

2010-07-16T09:16:00.000+02:00

I am working on a painting at the moment. I first sketched it on paper and colorized it in Photoshop to see which colors work best.
I'm pretty happy with the colors in the sketch (see above picture) so I started working on the painting yesterday. Hopefully it will turn out good... :)

I guess I want rain

2010-07-08T14:22:00.000+02:00

One for DoodleDonderdag. I don't know what my mind's up to because it's really hot outside but somehow it felt like drawing a girl in the rain.

In de nieuwe Boekie Boekie

2010-06-25T08:12:00.000+02:00

Deze maand sta ik in Boekie Boekie #78 en ook nu verkrijgbaar is de nieuwe Boekie Boekie agenda 2011! Ook daar sta ik in en wel met de Buurverhuur Van Buren illustratie, die dit jaar genomineerd is voor de Art Award.

I'm featured in the new Boekie Boekie magazine (number 78) and also available now is the new Boekie Boekie diary, in which you will find my Buurverhuur van Buren illustration, that was nominated for the Art Award 2010.

Sleep tight, part 1

2010-06-15T20:23:00.001+02:00

Ik werk aan een serie schilderijtjes met verschillende slapende stelletjes. De eerste uit de serie is bijna af, alleen nog even het dekentje afwerken en vastnaaien.

Ik werkte altijd met Rembrandt acrylverf en varkenshaar penselen en kwasten, maar nadat ik samen met Nancy Kers aan haar olifant voor de Elephant Parade heb gewerkt, ben ik overgestapt op zachte haren en Lascaux verf (Studio serie). Wat een verbetering!

I'm working on a series of little painting which portray sleeping couples. The first out of the series is almost finished, I just need to finish the blanket and sew it to the painting.

I've always worked with acrylic paint of Rembrandt and pig's bristles brushes but after working with Nancy Kers on her Elephant, I fell in love with soft haired pencils and Lascaux acrylics. I use the Studio series now.

Theedoosje!

2010-06-14T11:03:00.000+02:00

Een paar jaar geleden beschilderde ik veel theedoosjes. De laatste jaren eigenlijk nooit meer, op het theedoosje van mijn nichtje na. Ik heb toch maar mijn eigen theedoos ook beschilderd want die was wel erg saai!

A couple of years ago I decorated lots of teaboxes. Lately, not so much, besides the teabox for my cousin. I decided it was time to paint my own teabox because it was very plain.

Kasteel Nattenbroeck

2010-05-22T16:43:00.001+02:00

Vier nieuwe tekeningen bij een hoorspel over een mysterieus kasteel voor Boekie Boekie nummer 78, die in juni uitkomt.

Wat nieuws proberen

2010-05-08T10:10:00.000+02:00

Nu maar hopen dat mijn nichtje mijn blog niet leest... Dit is namelijk een theedoosje wat ik voor heb gemaakt, maar nog niet heb gegeven.
Wat je ziet is mijn nichtje met Winnie the Pooh oortjes en een rood shirt, net als de bekende beer. Daar is ze namelijk nogal fan van.

Veel illustraties maak ik met potlood, aquarel en collage, maar af en toe is het zo zijn om lekker met acryl bezig te zijn. Dit is wel een wat andere stijl dan ik normaal heb, maar past beter bij mijn nichtje. Ze heeft namlijk ook van die grote, blauwe ogen.

De beentjes lopen door over de opening van het theedoosje.

Doodle donderdag!

2010-05-06T11:17:00.000+02:00

Mijn eerste illustratie voor DoodleDonderdag! Mijn theedoekmeisje, ik ben erg fan van dit patroontje.

My first illustration for DoodleDonderdag (doodle thursday)! This is my dishtowel girl, I'm in love with the pattern of the fabric.

Koning Beer

2010-04-02T15:12:00.000+02:00

Ik heb net de laatste hand gelegd aan een schilderij. Koning Beer is gemaakt op een rond canvas dat mijn moeder me uit Denemarken heeft meegenomen, acrylverf (zo'n 8 lagen) en goud acryl.

I just finished a painting. King Bear is made on a round piece of canvas that my mom got for me from Denmark, acrylics (about 8 layers) and gold acrylic.

Voor degenen die geïnteresseerd hoe ik een schilderij opbouw, hieronder zie je mijn stappen.
For those who are interested how I paint something like this, I've attached images of my proces.

First adding the background color.

Painting the basic color for King Bear, which is reddish brown.

Adding some shadows with dark brown.

Adding highlights with white.

I painted over the whole thing, because I didn't like the brown color of King Bear.

Adding another layer of brown and red and painted the crown with gold acrylics.

I added the glass in his eye and re-did all the shadows and hightlights. I also repainted the crown. In this way you can see the gold acrylics a bit better but in real life it's more obvious.

The finished painting!

Publicatie in Boekie Boekie #77

2010-03-22T16:40:00.001+01:00

Helaas geen 1e plek maar toch een super publicatie in Boekie Boekie #77! En natuurlijk een publicatie in Boekie Boekie agenda 2011 die later dit jaar uitkomt!

Nu hopen dat een uitgeverij mijn illustraties goed vindt...

I didn't get the 1st place, unfortunately. But I did get a spread in the new issue of Boekie Boekie and I will be published in the agenda of 2011!

Crossing my fingers that a publisher will find my illustrations and will like them!

Nominatie Art Award 2010

2010-03-10T11:09:00.001+01:00

Ik ben genomineerd voor de Art Award 2010, die sinds 5 jaar door kindertijdschrift Boekie Boekie wordt georganiseerd. Zondag 21 maart is de uitreiking van deze prijs in Rotterdam en ik hoop natuurlijk dat ik hem win. Mijn concurrentie is beresterk!

Duimpjes draaien dan maar! :)

I am nominated for the Art Award 2010, an award event organized by Boekie Boekie, a children's magazine from the Netherlands. The event is on sunday the 21st of March in Rotterdam. Of course I hope I win it, but the competition is pretty strong.

Fingers crossed!

Hertje en konijnen

2010-01-30T17:08:00.001+01:00

Nog een tekening voor Boekie Boekie! Nog even hard doorwerken dit weekend en dan heb ik alle 3 af!